Saturday, July 24, 2010

How often do you see food commercials on television that make your mouth water and your stomach rumble? For me, there are definitely times that I see a perfect bowl of pasta or a gleaming sandwich and the ad works - I find myself wanting to give the meal a try.

But... how disappointing is it when you get the actual plate in front of you and the real thing just doesn't compare? Well, that's all thanks to food stylists. The same way that a photograph of a model might be retouched or a musician's tracks may be pieced together to make the best song is what happens to food. From the bright lights to the perfectly aligned edging to the tweaking of every detail, it's all part of the master plan to get you hungry.

Thankfully, Domino's Pizza has decided that all consumers really need is the truth. Sure, they could advertise with pictures like this:

But do they really need to? Domino's is so sure that their pizza doesn't need all the "extras" that those food stylists usually do because it's good enough all on its own. So, from now on, all of their national advertising with feature authentic Domino's pizzas. No fancy touch-ups or food artistry, just good ol' pizza. In fact, they're not even using professional photographers anymore.

Instead, Domino's wants their pizza's pictures taken by none other than YOU. Because really, don't these look just as good?

Taken by regular people from all over the country, these six pizza photographs are just a few of many taking part in the Show Us Your Pizza contest currently being run by Domino's. Ending July 26th (hurry!), they are inviting consumers to submit their best natural Domino's food photography for a chance to win one of four $500 prizes. All you have to do is pull out your camera, take a picture of your pizza and upload or email it to their site and then sit back and enjoy!

For more information on Domino's "photo promise" prohibiting any artificial manipulation of their products during shooting as well as the rules for the Show Us Your Pizza contest, visit Domino's website. Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person might just be in the mood to take a photo of their tasty dinner, because...

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Domino's Pizza on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook. 1 more Extra Entry if you leave this message on their wall: Yum! I just entered to win a $20 Domino's gift certificate at Thanks, Mail Carrier: http://bit.ly/bZLEnH1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Show Us Your Pizza. Please leave an address where it can be found.Giveaway will end on August 12th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Domino's Pizza for providing a $20 gift certificate for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

My ideal pizza is a hand-tossed crust combination pizza with lots of veggies. I like a little extra sauce because I don't like my pizza too dry. I also prefer pizzas baked in a stone hearth. Yum! Thanks!